On June 21st 1859, George Nichols, David Briscoe & Stephen Boardly ran away from John H Capels of Ann Arundell County, Maryland. John H Capels placed this advert. in the Sun newspaper in July of the same year. After finding this record on genealogybank.com I immediately began to search for John H Capels in the 1860 Census. What I found surprised me. Stephen Boardly and George Nichols(on) are recorded as freemen in the household of John H Capels. They, along with, John Nicholson, Richard Thomas & Hezekiah Thomas are farmhands.

In the 1870 US Federal Census, George Nicholson & Eliza Nicholson are recorded on the same page as John H Capels.